Is the time ripe for a new wave of scapegoating?

The ego defense of displacement plays an important role in scapegoating, in which uncomfortable feelings such as anger, frustration, envy, guilt, shame, and insecurity are displaced or redirected onto another, often more vulnerable, person or group. The scapegoats—outsiders, immigrants, minorities, 'deviants'—are then persecuted, enabling the scapegoaters to discharge and distract from their negative feelings, which are replaced or overtaken by a crude but consoling sense of affirmation and self-righteous indignation.

The creation of a villain necessarily implies that of a hero, even if both are purely fictional.

A good example of a scapegoat is Marie Antoinette, Queen of Louis XVI of France, whom the French people called l’Autre-chienne—a pun playing on Autrichienne (Austrian woman) and autre chienne (other bitch)—and accused of being profligate and promiscuous. When Marie Antoinette arrived in France to marry the then heir to the throne, the country had already been near bankrupted by the reckless spending of Louis XV, and the young and naïve foreign princess quickly became the unwitting target of the people’s mounting ire.

A ‘scapegoat’ usually implies a person or group, but the mechanism of scapegoating can also apply to non-human entities, whether objects, animals, or demons. Conversely, human scapegoats are to varying degrees dehumanized and objectified; some, such as witches in mediaeval Europe, are quite literally demonized. The dehumanization of the scapegoat makes the scapegoating more potent and palatable and can even lend it a sense of pre-ordained, cosmic inevitability.

According to the philosopher René Girard, owing to human nature, envy gradually builds up in a society until it reaches a tipping point, at which order and reason cede to mob rule, chaos, and violence. To quell this ‘madness of the crowds’ which poses an existential threat to the society, an exposed or vulnerable person or group is singled out as a sink for all the bad feeling, and the bad feeling bred from the bad feeling.

After the defeat of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens, Socrates, with his close links to prominent oligarchs such as Critias, who had been the first and worst among the Thirty, no longer seemed like the harmless eccentric of old, but like a dangerous and corrupting influence, a breeder of tyrants and the enemy of the common man. In the febrile atmosphere that had taken hold over the city, any accusation made against him, however false or fanciful, could be seized upon as a pretext to punish him and scapegoat him for all the sufferings of the tyranny. Once dispatched, a scapegoat may be totemized—and all the more so if he is also a martyr, that is, one who opposes or resists a belief that is being imposed upon him. Today, Socrates is chiefly remembered by his death, with Seneca going so far as to opine that ‘it was the hemlock that made Socrates great’ (cicuta magnum Socratem fecit).

The term ‘scapegoat’ actually has its origin in the Old Testament, more specifically, in Chapter 16 of the Book of Leviticus, according to which God instructed Moses and Aaron to sacrifice two goats every year. The first goat was to be killed and its blood sprinkled upon the Ark of the Covenant. The High Priest was then to lay his hands upon the head of the second goat and confess the sins of the people. Unlike the first goat, this lucky second goat was not to be killed but released into the wilderness together with its burden of sin, which is why it came to be known as a, or the, scapegoat.

The altar that stands in the sanctuary of every church is a symbolic remnant and reminder of this sacrificial practice, with the ultimate object of sacrifice being, of course, Jesus himself. Upon seeing Jesus for the first time, John the Baptist is said to have exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). And in Christian imagery, Jesus is often depicted as the victorious Lamb of God of the Book of Revelation, with one leg hooked around a banner with a red cross—whence the name of one of Oxford’s most celebrated public houses, the Lamb and Flag.

The sacrifice prescribed in the Book of Leviticus prefigures that of Jesus, who played the role of the first goat in his human crucifixion, and the role of the second goat, the scapegoat, in his divine resurrection.

Thanks for this excellent insight into scapegoating. Though most people will be familiar with the term, no one will pay much thought over it.
Especially during Christmas - scapegoating gets a new dimension - with emotions running high during the festive season - many of us tend to be even more active in finding a (e)scapegoat.
As a result, your article could not have come at a more appropriate time of the year.

I've been through a minor research on "blaming victims" & so-called "scapegoating" by now.

Difficult for me are two parts:

Contrary to expectations, caused by our Nazi elders of old, modern Germany is pretty detailed on personality rights and laws in general. Further many of those laws were installed by the USA & Allies, so there is a certain level of equality on major crimes.

-> Why then is victim-blaming & scapegoating not punished by the exiting laws against it? It is no opinion, it is a forbidden by law articulation of accusations, resentments, and prejudices in nearly every case.

Psychology of the 90's from last century came up with "passive aggressive", kinda too craven to fight, but because of that thrice as eager to backstab or hamstring.

-> A democracy which allows clearly anti-democratic, for disrespecting and outright ignoring democratic laws is NOT proper for citizens, people to remain paid and established actually wants to invest in the own self-destruction. It is one big "ad absurdum", one big idiocy of the establishment, even as laws against it are existent.

Yes it is against the law families scapegoating are all volunteering to participate in family violence... As children they have no choice .. As adults is willingly participation in family violence : harassment individual , parents are not entitled to dehumanize and abuse and grown siblings participating are entitling themselves to the same treatment they are dishing out .. That is jail ....BecauSe that type of family abuse and scapegoating .. Into adulthood .. Relentlessly claiming we don't care ... Will put their victim in jail ,homeless or in depression .. And they don't deserve that .. The head of the family and family followers whom are adults with full knowledge that participate..it's not entitlement as parents to use the rest of the family to victimize someone in the family the parents see as worthy .. Deserving , evil spirits etc .. Rumors are forms of what... Harassment... Claiming you deserve rumors in your workplace as punishment for not following rules of the family on whom you marry .. Is not an entitlement given to parents or siblings .. It causes sibling rivalry and separation ..and is harassment.... My mother siting beside me in church being a preachers wife dose not entitle her to abuse and dehumanize me with back turning shunning to shame me in front if everyone she is not entitled to do that . My sister is not entitled to follow up to make sure I was hurt .. And claim in dead to them , an evil spirit , and ghost is gone .. She's not entitled to do that .. Or spread rumors about me my ex to satisfy the control and rules of the family they perceived as not followed by the rule maker ... Head of the family .. The bible says this the sins of the child falls on the head of the family ...so a family scapegoating is because the head of the family.. Both parents are responsible ... Both parents ok it and continue .. It's both parents .. It's set down in the family structure and all the adult children gather .. To get the attention .. They didn't get as children ... The praise the attention the pat on the back attention they never got as children ...it's false attention .. Because were is it leading them?? It's criminal behavior .. So were is the false attention leading them as adults ??? These parents are unable to provide a stable safe loving , place ... So what of a place will hanging around trying to please and get attention from these type parents lead them ... To an unsafe , place,.. Which is what ?? Jail .. You can't please Nartistic parents ..it's best if families present out abusive treatment .. Don't care and continue .. That you turn to law enforcement .. That's my advice for any person being victimize . Once this group states you deserve noting and your an evil spirit ... It's time to say wait a minute the witch hunt and burning at the stake is ending ......

As my families scapegoat .. My aggressive mother then started shamming me in public ...I've had enough of her abusive Nartistic behavior .. And turned her in to the pd .. Her my sister .. This let's blame and dehumanize and bully . Sham , tell stories about .. Claim their bipolar and shun for Christmas .. Is more then enough from my abusive mother .. She can go to jail ..in fact both my bulling abusive parents can ... And honor it ... And be grateful .my father has no excuse .. None .. My mother is the most insecure . Neglectful .. Abusive mother verbally .. And she deserves jail time ... I'm not going to be dehumanized by her any more . That's the point it comes to sad as it is that's the point ... It comes to .. And my is no innocent non abusive person hiding behind preaching .. He is just that hiding his abuse scapegoating on me .. All my life my parents have done that .. And siblings go along with it .. And they are praised .. Given gifts and rewarded ..so to hide my parents guilt ... No when my mother.. Turned her back to dehumanize me and my sister is calling me an evil spirit and is rewarded with a house .. Claiming she is honoring ... That's when it enough .. I'm honoring god . And god loves me .. If my abusive mother can't sit on a bench at a church for 45 mins without back turning to shame me .. She can go to jail and sit until she figs out what abuse is ..and my dad .. They can sit in jail and see if they want to reward .. Gifts . Houses .. To siblings spreading dehumanizing rumors about me .. And follow up name calling. ..

I was hoping to find more psychological insights, rather than a build-up to a validation of Christian theology. The description of the (e)scape goat ritual is even inconsistent with the plain meaning of the text in Leviticus.

I'm totally convinced through years of abuse and recent research that I am in fact a victim of scapegoating. It helps to understand and especially to understand why. In this article, however, I cannot find anywhere what totemized means.

That goes to show that you should never listen to hype, never believe in common knowledge, especelly if voices keep popping up saying otherwise. Voices that wont be silenced. Use your brain and think for yourself. Never follow the crowd. And always listen to your counscience, dont override it with any lies you might tell yourself.